Dr. Reza Aslan on The Daily Show!

One of the first events to kick off the Get Lit! Festival features Dr. Reza Aslan, who will address the intersection between religion and political conflict, expressing his concern for how those two elements have contributed toward a rise in militancy and terrorism.

Dr. Aslan has written two books on religion and politics, but despite the intense issues he is concerned with, he believes political engagement is the best way to moderate radical ideologies. Best of all, even though he's been published in countless scholarly journals, he also knows how to reach an even larger group of intelligent viewers: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Reza Aslan
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Not only does he know his stuff, but he's funny and engaging as well. Based on that interview, it looks like the Get Lit! attendees are in for a treat.

Dr. Aslan will speak on Thursday, April 15 at 7 p.m. in the Doubletree Hotel's Grand Ballroom. Tickets are $20 general admission and free with a student ID. For more info, look here.

In his most recent book, How to Win a Cosmic War: God, Globalization and the End of the War on Terror, Dr. Aslan examines the origins of the Israel-Palestinian conflict; zealotry in various religious forms; the history of Islamic jihadist distortions of Islam; the repressive governments that produce such radicals; and analyzes America's current war on terrorism.

Dr. Aslan holds degrees in religion from multiple universities including Harvard, and he also holds an MFA in Fiction from the University of Iowa. Born in Iran, he currently lives in Los Angeles where he works as an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at UC Riverside and a contributing editor of The Daily Beast.

Help Spread the Word!

As we gear up for the 12th Annual Get Lit! Festival, we want to ensure that everyone in the community hears about the amazing lineup the festival has to offer. This year's festival has events, readings and workshops that will be entertaining, practical, enlightening, humorous, off-the-wall, inspiring and so much more. There are readings, panels and workshops for lit lovers of all ages by an array of award-winning writers like Janet Fitch, Richard Russo, Jess Walter, Reza Aslan, Anna Lappé , Sallie Tisdale, Victor Lodato, Janet Wong and many more.

The festival is designed to appeal to our entire community with events that engage as many individuals as possible. We'd love your help spreading the word about the festival, the more people know about it, the easier it will be for them to realize which events would be perfect for their son, daughter, teacher, spouse, coworker or friend. Every person who hears about the Get Lit! Festival and decides to attend even one event makes our arts community stronger!

We've made it really easy for you to help spread the word. It's as easy as printing a poster or linking to our website on your Facebook profile or blog. You can even Tweet about us, if you feel so inclined :)

We have 13 different posters, flyers and bookmarks for you to choose from, so feel free to print and post to your heart's content! Just go here to choose which flyer would be perfect for your workplace or favorite hangout spot.

If you'd like to link to us on your blog, Facebook, Twitter or other site, here is the link to our homepage.

And, of course, good old fashioned word of mouth is tried and true.

Page Ahead: View From the Judge's Table by Guest Blogger Cecelia Goodnow

Get Lit! Programs is once again working with Page Ahead Children's Literacy Program at our annual festival. This year we are hosting a book drive to gather new books for children up to age 12. You can drop off books at any Numerica Credit Union branch, at the INB Performing Arts Center, or any festival event during the month of April.

Get Lit! was also asked to participate in judging for the first Page Ahead Book Award. The categories were picture books in nonfiction, read-aloud, and multicultural. I learned about snowflakes and the boy who actually invented television and discovered many great titles to add to my collection. Each one had something to offer, so it was hard to choose the winners. Below is an insider's look at our book discussion by guest blogger Cecilia Goodnow.

"Does anyone have any thoughts about the next category?"

Susan Waller, development coordinator for the Page Ahead, scanned the faces of the judges ranged around the conference table high above downtown Seattle. We were there to select the winners of Page Ahead's Best Books for Kids, the literacy group's inaugural children's book contest.

I bit. With the confidence of conviction, I pulled my favorite multicultural book from the stack of nominees and argued its merits.

"Clearly," I concluded, "this is the standout title in the category."

A head nodded, and I prepared to take a victory lap. But then another judge spoke up:

"I hated that book."

"I did, too," said another.

Huh?

It was a graphic demonstration of what we all know in the abstract -- that reading tastes are highly personal and individualistic. They also can be quite passionate, as we learned from fellow judge Cecilia McGowen, head children's librarian of the King County Library System. McGowen, who has served on other awards committees, said tears and angry words can spill out in the heat of rhetorical battle. She even heard of one disagreement that was punctuated by a slap.

Fortunately, we were a congenial and collegial group, and we had a lot of fun this afternoon discussing the pros and cons of the titles under consideration. It went kind of like this:

Judge A: "I'm sorry none of your favorites was chosen. I don't want you to feel your opinion isn't being heard."

Judge B: (chuckling) "That's okay. It's not about me."

In addition to McGowen and yours truly, the "deciders" included Rene Kirkpatrick, former buyer at All for Kids and now a buyer at Third Place Books; Stephanie Dunnewind, who reviews kids' books for The Seattle Times, and (via speakerphone from Spokane) Dani Ringwald of Get Lit! Programs, which sponsors an annual literary festival. Waller and Jacki Crowther, Page Ahead's book program manager, rounded out the selection committee.

The scene was a 48th-floor conference room inside the Washington Mutual Tower, in the sprawling offices of Perkins Coie, the Northwest's oldest and largest law firm. We had a great view of the misty city and kept ourselves stoked with a tempting array of snacks from Trader Joe's, so it was well nigh impossible to be cranky about anything. And it was all for a good cause.

Page Ahead launched the contest, which is planned as an annual event, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its literacy outreach. Since 1990 the organization has donated some 2 million new books to more than 600,000 low-income and at-risk children. Through its Family Involvement Program, it works to encourage parents to read aloud to their children. In fact, Read-Aloud was one of the categories in this year's contest, along with Nonfiction and Multicultural titles.

Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in late April, so I can't divulge the outcome of our vote, but I can share the list of nominees. Feel free to jump in with your opinions, pro or con, on the titles we considered.

Nonfiction

Butterflies and Moths, by Nic Bishop

Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11, by Brian Floca

The Boy Who Invented TV: The Story of Philo Farnsworth, by Kathleen Krull

The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter's Wonder, by Mark Cassino

Boy, Were We Wrong About the Solar System! by Kathleen V. Kudlinski

Read Aloud

Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Maybe a Bear Ate It! by Robie Harris

Thunder-Boomer! by Shutta Crum

A Book, by Mordicai Gerstein

The Three Little Tamales, by Eric A. Kimmel

Multicultural

One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference, by Katie Smith Milway

14 Cows for America, by Carmen Agra Deedy

The Beckoning Cat, by Koko Nishizuka

Our Children Can Soar, by Michelle Cook

Book Fiesta! by Pat Mora

Cecelia Goodnow has been writing about children's books for two decades, initially as a reporter for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Her newspaper career has led her to many topics, including education, politics, lifestyle trends, health and pop culture, but some of her most rewarding stories have been about the world of children's books, whose talented creators too often go unsung. Read more about news, reviews, and dialog about books for children and teens from the Cover to Cover blog here.

Earth Day is on its way!

Earth Day, celebrated in the US on April 22nd, is a day designed to raise and inspire awareness & appreciation for the Earth's environment. Earth Day itself was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in in 1970 and is celebrated in many countries around the world.

At the Get Lit! Festival we are celebrating Earth Day with three environmental events featuring festival author and co-founder of the Small Planet Institute, Anna Lappé.

On Wednesday, April 15th at 7pm, Ms. Lappé will read and discuss her newest book, Diet for a Hot Planet: The Climate Crisis at the End of Your Fork and What You Can Do about It at Spokane Community College's Lair Auditorium. Her book proposes a farming method that is nature mentored, restorative, regenerative, resilient, and community empowered, as well as a diet to reduce carbon and cool the planet.

The following morning on Thursday, April 15^th at 9:30am, Lappé will open up the conversation at SCC’s Hagan Foundation Center for the Humanities (locate in the library building, 2^nd floor) to discuss your sustainability concerns. For more information about Anna Lappé and her various works, please visit her bio page.

Both events with Anna Lappé on April 14 and 15 at SCC are free and open to the public. For more information about the events, visit the Get Lit! Programs website! You'll also find 50 other events to choose from!

On Saturday, April 17^th, Spokane is celebrating Earth Day, so why not ride your bike, your toboggan, the bus, or just walk on downtown and make a day of celebrating literature and the Earth! Come on down and catch some Get Lit! events on the 17^th, then check out the Earth Day Spokane events to honor Earth Day. The Earth Day celebration will take place April 17th, 11am to midnight on Main street between Division and Brown, in the streets and on the sidewalks!

Wrap up your week of Earth Day and Get Lit! events by checking out the film What’s on Your Plate? During Get Lit! Flicks at the Magic Lantern on Tuesday, April 20^th at 7:15, a documentary featuring commentary by Anna Lappé.

April is a great month for book and Earth lovers!